The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) provides schools and districts comprehensive training and support services designed to ensure that every child succeeds.
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The services provide teachers the skills they need to teach the Direct Instruction (DI) curricula, remediate student problems, and motivate students to be attentive learners. The services also allow administrators and teachers to monitor the state of the DI implementation and make changes weekly to the implementation based on student performance data and direct observation. Making timely adjustments based on student performance is key to ensuring that all students receive the most appropriate instruction daily.
NIFDI as an organization is much broader in its services than having school districts implement DI programs. NIFDI uses DI published programs to deliver curriculum content but provides a great deal more. NIFDI is an organization that offers a comprehensive approach to the education crisis in America by providing continuous administrative and curricular support to schools and districts as they implement DI programs with students who are performing or typically would be expected to perform below grade level. While working with these schools and districts with the ultimate goal of making them self-sufficient, NIFDI serves as a transforming agent to the schools, providing them with the content, skills, and organization required to achieve excellence in education.
Establishes a comprehensive, undiluted implementation of Direct Instruction school-wide and across all grade levels, beginning with school entry.
Builds a management team that involves the coordination of NIFDI and school personnel for the purpose of attaining a high level of student learning.
Accelerates all students and trains teachers in structural and instructional details that enable acceleration to occur.
Conducts preservice training of teachers before school begins and in-service training throughout the school year to meet needs and solve problems.
Each week uses experienced NIFDI personnel (by phone and/or person) to monitor student performance and provide assistance. A Project Director and Implementation Manager are assigned to each school to fulfill functions that are integral to a successful implementation of the model.
Trains district-employed personnel to provide on-site support and coaching.
Generalizes effective instruction to all areas of teacher/student interactions.
Gradually equips school districts and/or schools with tools, training procedures, and skills to maintain the implementation after the NIFDI assistance is faded.
Includes customized remedies developed by authors and implementors of the DI programs for curricular areas where student performance problems are noted.
Reading Mastery
Classic, Plus, Signature
Horizons
Corrective Reading
Funnix
Language for Learning
Language for Thinking
Language for Writing
Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE)
Essentials for Algebra
Rewards
R.E.A.C.H
Understanding U.S. History
NIFDI offers many options for implementing Direct Instruction. These options include:
DIRECT INSTRUCTION IN PRESCHOOL
The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) supports several schools that employ Direct Instruction (DI) in their preschool classrooms. The children usually start a DI language program (Español to English or level K of Reading Mastery Signature Edition Language) after a few weeks of school. Children initially participate in only about 10 minutes of language per day. They start with the action track in language. Once they are accustomed to following directions the first time (about the first 10 lessons), the teacher goes back to lesson 1 and teaches entire lessons, which may take 20 minutes or more. The children may need a break, so they are only experiencing DI for 15 minutes at a time. The goal in preschool is for students to complete at least the first 80 lessons of language at mastery by the end of the year. Once children complete lesson 40 in language at mastery in preschool, they can begin reading lessons immediately and not have to wait until they enter kindergarten.
Read more: pdf Using DI in Preschool
EARLY LITERACY MODEL (GRADES K-3)
The early literacy model provides children in the primary grades reading and language instruction that sets the stage for students to be successful in a wide range of academic and personal activities. Language and conceptual skills are fundamental to this model as a precursor to reading success. Reading Mastery is the primary program utilized in this model. The goal of the model is to accelerate student learning by one full grade level ahead of the national average by the third grade for continuing students.
ELEMENTARY REMEDIAL LITERACY MODEL (GRADES 4-5)
Designed for students in the upper elementary grades, the elementary remedial literacy model improves the reading skills of students who have demonstrated needs in writing and decoding or comprehending written texts. Programs include Corrective Reading Decoding and Comprehension tracks, Expressive Writing, and Reading Mastery. The goal of the model is to increase student confidence in reading and writing and provide students with fundamental skills that will allow them to function in middle school content courses.
FULL IMMERSION MODEL (GRADES K-5)
The full immersion model extends the early literacy model to all grades in elementary schools and includes spelling and mathematics. The model builds on the conceptual and literacy success of the primary grades to foster academic acceleration in the intermediate grades. Programs include Reading Mastery, Expressive Writing, Spelling Mastery, and Connecting Math Concepts. The goal of the model is to accelerate student learning by one and a half grade levels ahead of the national average by the sixth grade for students who begin the program in Kindergarten.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REMEDIAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY MODELS (GRADES 6-8)
The middle school remedial literacy model is designed for students in middle school who have demonstrated needs in decoding and comprehending written texts. Programs include Corrective Reading Decoding and Comprehension tracks and Expressive Writing. The goal of the model is to increase student confidence in reading and writing and provide students with fundamental skills that will allow them to function in middle school content courses.
A numeracy version of the model addresses fundamental mathematics skills at the middle school level using Corrective Mathematics, a program available in seven separate modules that address specific mathematics deficits: Addition; Subtraction; Multiplication; Division; Basic Fractions; Fractions, Decimals, and Percents; Ratios and Equations. Advanced students will receive instruction in Essentials for Algebra.
RESEARCH STUDY OPTION (ALL SUBJECTS & GRADES)
NIFDI is interested in working with schools and districts that want to participate in a research study related to Direct Instruction. Potential sites are asked to send a letter of interest to NIFDI’s Office of Research that includes:
In addition to your letter of interest, please complete and submit a folder School Data form outlining the demographics of your site’s demographics.
Mail letter and School Data form to:
National Institute for Direct Instruction
Research Site Proposal Consideration
1140 Willagillespie Rd, STE 18
Eugene, OR 97401
Or email to:
research@nifdi.org
Or fax to:
541.236.9137
It takes several months to determine whether a site is appropriate for a study and to establish procedures. Interested schools or districts should contact NIFDI at least six months before they wish to begin the study.
Early Language Model
Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade
The early language model ensures that sutdents acquire critical skils in the first years of schooling that will lay the basis for later success in reading and other subjects. Many students enter school without a solid foundation in oral language comprehension and expression. In this model, all students become familiar with the foundational vocabulary, background information and sentence structures that allow them to understand and respond appropriately to teachers' instrucitonal language. Instructional programs include Language for Learning and Language for Thinking, which can be used effectively with high-performning preschool students as well as low-performing second grade students or for speakers of English as a second language at various grade levels.
